Topic Report: Drugs and alcohol

AUDIT - (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) is a set of questions for non-specialists to be able to screen for unhealthy or risky alcohol use. A shorter form is available as AUDIT-C.

Class A drugs - The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 is the main legislation in the UK to control and classify drugs that are ‘dangerous or otherwise harmful’ when misused. The act lists all illegal (or controlled) drugs in the UK and divides them into one of 3 ‘classes’ – A, B and C – based on the harm they cause to individuals and society. Class A drugs are considered the most harmful.

Identification and Brief Advice (IBA) - a brief intervention which typically involves using a validated screening tool to identify risky drinking (e.g. AUDIT-C – the shorter form of AUDIT) followed by the delivery of short brief advice aimed at encouraging a risker drinker to reduce their consumption to lower risk levels.

Invasive Group A Streptococcal infection - Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a bacterium which can colonise the throat, skin and anogenital tract. Invasive GAS (iGAS) is an infection where these bacteria are found in a part of the body which is normally sterile, such as the blood, and these infections can be extremely severe.

Naloxone - is the emergency antidote for overdoses caused by heroin and other opiates (such as methadone, morphine, and fentanyl), reversing life-threatening breathing difficulties. Naloxone is a prescription-only medicine, so pharmacies cannot sell it over the counter, but anyone can use it to save a life in an emergency.

Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST) - People who become dependent on heroin or other illicit opioids often benefit from opioid substitution treatment (OST). OST has 2 core elements: pharmacological and psychosocial. The pharmacological element involves replacing illicit opioids with a prescribed replacement opioid, such as methadone or buprenorphine. The psychosocial (talking) element supports people to stabilise on the replacement opioid and to then make positive changes to their lives and recover from their drug use. OST is most commonly used for illicit heroin use.

Prison categories - ranging from A as the highest risk (where individuals would be highly dangerous to the public, the police or the security of the State and for whom the aim must be to make escape impossible) to D as the lowest risk (where individuals have been assessed as manageable in low security conditions)

Prisoner Escort and Custody Service - PECS provides the safe and secure transport of prisoners including adults, children and young people to and from Police Stations, Courts, Prisons, Secure Training Centres (STCs), and Secure Children’s Schools (SCHs).